Glendale, Ariz. — It was time, here at the midway point of a season that is supposed to bear the 49ers‘ signature.

Time for the 49ers to make a statement. Time for their offense to assert itself. Time for one of the league favorites to grab hold of the NFC West, show off their promised diversified offense, regain a rhythm.

“Yeah, the last couple of weeks, offensively were not our best,” Alex Smith said after his commanding performance in the 49ers’ 24-3 victory over Arizona. “Everyone took the challenge of getting back on track.”

And it was “Monday Night Football.” What better time to unveil those nifty offensive tools known as wide receivers?

Stars are made in prime time. Star wide receivers like to shine on the Monday night stage. On Monday night, the 49ers benefited from the one-two punch of an old and a rising star. Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree made the type of plays – back-breaking, third-down plays – that seemed possible back in March when Moss was signed out of retirement.

The 49ers’ offense hadn’t exactly been wowing anyone lately. Its only touchdown in the past two games belonged to Delanie Walker in the Seattle slugfest. The 49ers were shut out of the end zone in the 26-3 loss to the New York Giants. And the offensive explosions they recorded against the Jets and Bills seem like distant and not particularly significant memories, considering how the league has taken shape since then.

You could make an argument that the 49ers’ last impressive offensive performance came in Game 2 against Detroit.

So it was important to do something Monday night in Arizona. The Cardinals had handed the 49ers one of their three regular-season losses last season.

“Their defense, especially down here, played really well against us,” Smith said.

The game was huge for Smith, who had cooled after a fast start to the season. Aside from the performances of the receivers, Monday’s game might best be remembered for Harbaugh’s response to questions about Smith’s confidence.

“I just think it was a lot of gobble, gobble turkey. Just gobble, gobble turkey, funk-jive turkey gobblers,” Harbaugh said of such questions.

Crabtree, a fourth-year receiver, came into the postgame interview room looking every bit like a prime-time diva receiver, wearing sunglasses (indoors at 9 p.m.) and hot pink Nikes.

“It’s frustrating when you’re not getting the ball,” Crabtree said. “When you get in the game, if you get five touches, you have to make the most of them.”

On Monday, he made the most of his five catches, having a hand in all of the 49ers’ scores. In the first quarter, he put the 49ers on the board with an impressive catch on 3rd-and-goal from the 3, despite having Patrick Peterson clinging to him like a No. 21 Arizona Cardinals Halloween costume.

A long gain on a third-down pass to Crabtree set up a field goal that gave the 49ers a 10-0 lead. And just after the two-minute warning in the first half, Crabtree scored another 3rd-and-goal touchdown, when Peterson fell down, opening up a huge gap through which Crabtree dashed.

In the third quarter, Crabtree turned a short pass from Smith into a 30-yard gain, helped by some key blocks, including one from Moss. But then the Crabtree show gave way to an old standby: Moss on Monday.

On another backbreaking third-down play, Smith found Moss along the sideline, covered by Jamell Fleming.

“He made a great play on that DB, kind of okey-dokeying him on the sideline,” Smith said. Moss took off down the field, chased by linebacker Sam Acho.

“The old man still can go,” Frank Gore said.

Yes, he can. And it must have looked familiar to Cardinals fans. Moss has scored a touchdown in each of the six games he has played against the Cardinals, including a postseason game in his rookie year of 1998. That was a long, long time ago, but the muscle memory is still there.

“Great protection from the O-line,” Moss said after the game. “The quarterback delivered, I caught it, ran, had some blocks downfield. It was as simple as that.”

Well, it can’t be that simple because it’s only Moss’ second touchdown of the season. His first came in the opener against Green Bay.

Moss’ teammates were thrilled. When he scored, Moss parted his hands, as though parting a curtain or the Red Sea, then flexed his muscles in a strongman move. His young teammates, Crabtree and Kyle Williams, had trailed him into the end zone. They hesitated a moment, as though unsure whether Moss had more of an end-zone celebration – maybe a throwback moon? – planned. Then they pointed at him and jumped on his back.

“That’s the OG, the triple OG,” Crabtree said, using shorthand for either Original Gangster or Original Gamer. “I was smiling from ear-to-ear.”

Smith was, too. “He’s still a great player,” he said. “It’s fun to see that, especially here on Monday night.”

It was Moss’ 18th touchdown in Monday night games, putting him in third place behind Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens.

The productive night by the 49ers’ receivers made the ineffective performance by one of the league’s great receivers even sadder. Larry Fitzgerald was targeted 11 times and caught five balls for just 52 yards. He’s languishing in the second-worst offense in the league, with an ineffective quarterback in John Skelton.

The 49ers have a two-game lead in the NFC West and head into the bye week feeling good. They made a statement when it needed to be made. And not only about jive turkey gobblers.